Mayne Island Residents and Ratepayers Association January Newsletter

Deer Community Forum: On Friday January 14, there will be a community forum to explore and discuss the ever growing issue of deer on Mayne Island.

As we all are aware, Mayne is home to both native Black Tail deer and imported European Fallow deer. With no resident predators and a hunting ban, the Black Tail population has expanded will beyond the capability of the islands ecosystem. The introduced Fallow deer population has become increasingly aggressive, only exasperating the overall impact on the island.

From a human point of view, farmers and backyard gardeners are being impacted daily. Vehicle collisions are common on many islands. As well, deer are a known host of the ticks responsible for Lyme Disease and are potentially the most broad based source of EColi contamination on the islands.

The forum is intended to identify the extent of these and other issues as well as develop the initial mechanism to explore solutions. The forum panel will consist of representatives from all levels of Government, local Conservatories, Farmers, RCMP and other stakeholders. All residents are welcome to attend both for information and to contribute experiences and ideas to the forum. We would like to express our appreciation to our MLA and Environment Minister Murray Coell for his efforts in supporting this forum.

As the issue is not unique to Mayne, this forum likely will be used both as a tool and a template for similar forums on other islands. The key is to define clear and achievable objectives and developing to tools to achieve these objectives.

Firehall Replacement: In November MIRRA hosted a technical forum with representatives from Permasteel. The intent of the meeting was to clarify that a steel building would meet all requirements of the BC Building code and would be appropriate for consideration as an economical and proven building technology for the fire hall replacement. The meeting was very successful and well received by all in attendance.

Memberships: A reminder that memberships are due if you have not renewed since October.

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